: As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter , summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted. Appeals Bankruptcy & Insolvency: Preferential Payments R. v. Cope, 2026 SCC 32 (41431) Protecting Indigenous women victims doesn’t displace Gladue. . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme One-Liners appeared first on Slaw
: As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter , summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted. Leaves to Appeal Granted Criminal Law: Post-Verdict Sentencing Delay R. v. R.B.-C., 2026 SCC 30 (41677) Clarification re post-verdict sentencing delay. . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme One-Liners appeared first on Slaw
: As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter , summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted. Appeals Elections: Irregularities Sinclair-Desgagné v. Canada (Chief Electoral Officer), 2026 SCC 31 (42076) Federal election irregularities; annulment. . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme One-Liners appeared first on Slaw
: As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter , summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted. Appeals Criminal Law: MV Offences R. v. Moshfeghi Zadeh , 2026 SCC 35 (41996) Clarifications re serious driving offences. . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme One-Liners appeared first on Slaw
: As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter , summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted. Leaves to Appeal Granted Professions: Mandatory New Lawyer Oath His Majesty the King in Right of Alberta v. Wirring, 2025 ABCA 413 (42224) Constitutionality of new lawyer oath. . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme One-Liners appeared first on Slaw
: As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter , summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted. Appeals Criminal Law: Admissibility/Use Re Complainant Sexual Activity R. v. A.M, 2026 SCC 33 (41528) s. 276 screening regime not automatically apply re sexual services/trafficking. Leaves to Appeal Granted Aboriginal Law: Title British Columbia v. Nuchatlaht , 2026 BCCA 137 (42379) Aboriginal title to . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme One-Liners appeared first on Slaw
: As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter , summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted. Appeals Torts: Causation; Medmal Hemmings v. Padmore , 2026 SCC 34 (41350) Factual causation analysis & remoteness analysis. Leaves to Appeal Granted Aboriginal Law: Status Bocchini Estate v. Canada (Attorney General) , 2026 ONCA 55 (42278) Indian status issues. Civil Litigation: Covid Litigation; Emergencies . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme One-Liners appeared first on Slaw
: As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter , summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted. Appeals Constitutional Law/Courts: Review of Delegated Powers Democracy Watch v. Canada (Attorney General), 2026 SCC 28 (41576) Clarifications re courts’ jurisdiction as to legality of delegated power exercise. Civil Litigation: Spoliation of Evidence SS&C Technologies Canada Corp. v. Bank of New York Mellon Corp . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme One-Liners appeared first on Slaw
: As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter , summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted. Leave to Appeal Granted Bankruptcy: Contempt Lymer v. Jonsson, 2025 ABCA 423 (42227) Civil contempt issues in bankruptcy. Civil Litigation: Contempt; Charter s. 11 (c) Estate of Craig Sutherland, et al. v. Murphy , 2025 ONCA 227 (41818) Civil contempt issues in injunctions and . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme One-Liners appeared first on Slaw
: As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter , summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted. Leave to Appeal Granted Sentencing: Mandatory Minimums Quebec (Attorney General) v. Denis, 2026 SCC 25 Mandatory minimum of six months for obtaining sexual services from minor is constitutional. Intellectual Property: Patents Pharmascience Inc. v. Janssen Inc ., 2026 SCC 26 (41209) What is/is not . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme One-Liners appeared first on Slaw
: As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter , summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted. Appeals Real Property: Riparian Rights Zardev Inc. v. Dydzak, 2026 SCC 27 (41291) Clarifications re riparian rights, submerged lots, accessories. Leave to Appeal Granted Administrative Law/Police: Mandamus Royal Canadian Mounted Police External Review Committee, et al. v. Benison, et al ., 2026 FCA 53 . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme One-Liners appeared first on Slaw
: As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter , summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted. Appeal Criminal Law: Police Misconduct Disclosure Edmonton (Police Service) v. McKee, 2026 SCC 24 (41110) Multiple disclosure issues re prior police misconduct. Leave to Appeal Granted Torts: Future Care Needs; Deductibility of Provincial Payments H.D v. British Columbia (Ministry of Children and Family Development), . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme One-Liners appeared first on Slaw
: As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter , summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted. Leaves to Appeal Granted Criminal Law: NCR; High Risk G. v. R., 2025 ONCA 873 (42341) High-risk accused designation in NCR context. Criminal Law: Restraint & Management Orders Nest Exchange Limited (formerly known as Nest Services Limited), et al. v. R ., 2025 ONSC . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme One-Liners appeared first on Slaw
: As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter , summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted. Leaves to Appeal Granted Arbitration: Same-Issue Estoppel; Standard of Review Vancouver School District No. 39 v. Kingsgate Property Ltd., et al., 2026 BCCA 98 (42350) Same-issue estoppel & standard of review in arbitration context. Family Law: Common Law Relationships Tanguay v. Zicat, 2025 QCCA . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme One-Liners appeared first on Slaw
: A consensus is emerging in law schools across Canada and the US that AI has no place in teaching the core curriculum, because it impedes student learning, especially in first year. Schools are beginning to follow the University of Chicago’s lead in banning AI in first-year core courses. Some profs are also banning laptops in classrooms — taking every precaution to shield students’ developing minds from the corrosive effects of AI. Michael Plaxton, one of the leading voices in Canada thinking through the many challenges AI poses to legal education, crystallizes the argument: “The case for law schools must be . . . [more] The post The Argument for Encouraging Student Use of AI in First-Year Law appeared first on Slaw
: Is this a rabbit, or is it a duck? It’s both. (You’ll see the two animals after a few seconds if you haven’t already). Known as Jastrow’s rabbit/duck, this image has been amusing people ever since it first appeared in a German newspaper in 1892). How much time and money should be spent trying to prove that Jastrow’s drawing is really a duck, or really a rabbit, or moreone than the other? No time and no money at all. Our civil justice system tries to search for truth , in order to bring each lawsuit to a just resolution . . . [more] The post A Futile Search for “Truth”? Epistemically Unproductive Expenditures in Civil Lawsuits appeared first on Slaw
: Each Monday we present brief excerpts of recent posts from five of Canada’s award-winning legal blogs chosen at random* from more than 80 recent Clawbie winners. In this way we hope to promote their work, with their permission, to as wide an audience as possible. This week the randomly selected blogs are 1. ABlawg.ca 2. Crossroad Family Law Blog 3. The Court 4. Hull & Hull Blog 5. Risk Management & Crisis Response ABlawg.ca Intimate Image Abuse in the Age of Deepfakes: Reforming Alberta’s Civil Legislation: Part 1 One in ten American teenagers personally knows someone who has had deepfake . . . [more] The post Monday’s Mix appeared first on Slaw
: Ask ten partners in the same firm to describe their approach to client service and you will likely hear ten different answers. One partner will insist on quarterly check-ins. Another prefers to let the client reach out when they need something. One responds to every email within the hour, while another believes that as long as the work is delivered on time, the client will be happy. Some actively introduce colleagues from other practice areas. Others rarely do. None of these approaches are necessarily wrong. But when they all exist within the same firm, they create a challenge. The result . . . [more] The post When Every Partner Delivers a Different Client Experience appeared first on Slaw
: In a previous article, I wrote about the benefits of simulations in jump-starting learning. In this article, I want to focus on one specific aspect of simulation: the use of simulated clients. Medicine has long used simulated patients to help students develop practical skills and bedside manner. The use of simulated clients to support law student learning is a more recent development. Through the pioneering work of Paul Maharg and others, simulated clients have become an important educational tool in legal education in Canada and around the world. Rather than discussing the history of simulated clients or the training they . . . [more] The post Beyond Role Playing: How Simulated Clients Enhance Learning appeared first on Slaw
: The growth of self-representation in all adjudicative settings may ultimately require a new approach to adjudication that is even more fundamental than a root and branch overhaul of procedure and practice. What legislators and courts may need to consider is the development of forums that are focused on and limited to adjudicating cases involving SRLs. Such courts would channel cases involving SRLs into a specific forum where court participants, including the adjudicator and court staff and any required wrap-around services, would exclusively plan for and engage with litigants who do not have legal representation. One such experiment has been underway . . . [more] The post Imagining a Possible Future: Self-Represented Litigant Courts appeared first on Slaw
: Your mid-sized firm invested $500,000 recruiting four to five new students last year. By year five, 91 percent are gone. Your per-person investment was roughly $100,000 to $125,000. Add salary, training, and mentorship. Then they leave. The question worth asking is whether you hired the wrong people, or whether you didn’t integrate them. The data suggests the latter. When the National Association for Law Placement Foundation surveyed departing Canadian associates, 29 percent cited work quality concerns. Sixteen percent pointed to productivity standards they felt they weren’t meeting. Thirteen percent said the advancement path was unclear. Thirteen percent mentioned fit. Another . . . [more] The post Beyond Day One: The Onboarding System Firms Still Haven’t Built appeared first on Slaw
: One Sunday each month we bring you a summary from Supreme Advocacy LLP of recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers a weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter, to which you may subscribe . It’s a summary of all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted from April 18 – June 25, 2026 inclusive. Appeal Civil Litigation/Elections: Collateral Attack; Abuse of Process; Parliamentary Privilege; Immunity Resler v. Anglin , 2024 ABCA 113 ; 2026 SCC 23 (41298) Can an unsuccessful election candidate bring a civil claim against an elections officer for the tort of . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme Advocacy appeared first on Slaw
: I recently watched a movie, and one of the characters, who was bullied, made a very poignant statement. She said: “If the person who bullied me decided not to be mean, his life would not have changed... however, my life would have been profoundly different.” It struck me, that those who are unkind, would not lose anything by being kind. In fact, many benefits are derived from showing kindness to others. However, as we all know, the person who is on the receiving end of the bullying or unkindness, is affected in ways that reverberate for years, and at times, . . . [more] The post The Wellness Lawyer: “Kindness” appeared first on Slaw
: One Sunday each month we bring you a summary from Supreme Advocacy LLP of recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers a weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter, to which you may subscribe . It’s a summary of all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted from June 26 – August 31, 2026 inclusive. Appeal Civil Litigation: Spoliation of Evidence SS&C Technologies Canada Corp. v. Bank of New York Mellon Corp , 2024 ONCA 675 ; 2026 SCC 29 (41543) July 31, 2026 Spoliation is the intentional destruction, alteration, mutilation, or concealment of evidence . . . [more] The post Summaries Sunday: Supreme Advocacy appeared first on Slaw
: Last week, the Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) released its updated Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Canadian Courts. Credit is due to the CJC for its ongoing thoughtful engagement on this important topic. Similarly, several Quebec courts released their own guidelines on judicial AI use last month. This column looks at one feature that both sets of guidelines have in common: guidance for judges on using AI tools to summarize material filed with the court, including evidence and submissions. This is far from the only aspect of the CJC and Quebec guidelines worthy of discussion, but it is . . . [more] The post Summarize This? appeared first on Slaw
: Once a patent is granted, it can be asserted in litigation against an alleged infringer. One of the remedies that can be obtained is “reasonable compensation” for pre-grant infringement pursuant to section 55(2) of the Patent Act . While relief is often sought and granted for pre-grant infringement, the remedy has some subtleties, including those arising from changing practices at the Canadian Patent Office. Section 55(2) of the Patent Act states the following: 55(2) A person is liable to pay reasonable compensation to a patentee and to all persons claiming under the patentee for any damage sustained by the patentee . . . [more] The post Patent Publication Dates appeared first on Slaw
: Every now and again, a mainstream occurrence helps inform the general public about the world of dispute resolution. Often through the world of sports. Mediation has resolved a hockey lockout . Arbitration has resolved salary disputes between player and team. This summer, we encountered another one. A trade that would return Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors has been delayed pending the outcome of an investigation surrounding an alleged salary cap circumvention. Fans frustrated by the delay have wondered why the ongoing investigation cannot be sped up. Some media have speculated that this was possible, though at the time of . . . [more] The post You Can’t Hurry Judge appeared first on Slaw
: I watch a lot of hockey – but mostly on television. This year I attended a playoff game of the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa. It was an exciting game, but for me there was one concerning moment, when I heard thousands of people chanting, “Refs, you suck!”, after a call on the ice against the home team. As a hockey fan, I too did not like some of their calls, or non-calls, but there is a critical difference between attacking a decision and attacking the person who made the decision. Before the game started, . . . [more] The post “Refs, You Suck!”: Personal Attacks on Decision Makers appeared first on Slaw
: The troika of artificial intelligence, pricing, and talent transience has been with us for some time now. As a result, traditional pyramid-structured law firms grappling with these bet-the-business juggernauts are at an inflection point. I propose a flatter way forward. I have been writing and talking about this issue for many years, most recently as part of my ‘The Law Firm’ series: Pyramid Rollover , Private Equity Puzzle , Disappearing Act , Foundational Rebuild , and now this one, Inflection Point. My argument throughout this series is that traditional law firm pyramid structures will not hold against AI, pricing, and . . . [more] The post The Law Firm Inflection Point appeared first on Slaw
: My five-part “The Law Firm” series frames issues and proposes solutions to the global legal service market’s juggernaut triplets – Artificial Intelligence, Pricing, and Talent Transience. For some unfathomable reason, many law firms have tended not to run as businesses, choosing instead to emphasize top line revenue rather than bottom line profitability. This is one of the reasons why many law firms have historically considered themselves to be successful. Ironically, it is also why law firm mergers and acquisitions have increased with the speed of summer lightning of late as have insolvencies and failures. The Juggernaut Triplets The juggernaut triplets . . . [more] The post The Law Firm Series appeared first on Slaw
: Mediators are often asked by parties or their counsel to send them a copy of their “standard Agreement to Mediate” for review. But is there such a document? If by “standard” we mean some prescribed form followed by all mediators, the answer is no. Virtually every mediator has his or her own Agreement. Some are based on agreements provided in mediation training, while others are quite customized. This article has its origin in a recent mediation. One of the three lawyers attending had clearly not read the Agreement to Mediate, although it had been sent to him weeks earlier. When . . . [more] The post The “Standard” Agreement to Mediate appeared first on Slaw
: Earlier this year, a motion at the Ontario Superior Court paused while everyone in the room went looking for a quotation. The factum on one side quoted a decision of the Court of Appeal, and opposing counsel could not find the quoted words anywhere in that decision. He suspected the factum had been drafted with AI. The judge called a short recess, so the party who filed it could go and find the passage. [1] The citation was correct, and anyone who looked it up would have found exactly the case named. In this instance, AI produced a fake quotation . . . [more] The post Beyond Fake Cases: The Other Ways AI Is Going Wrong in Canadian Courts appeared first on Slaw
: This summer our law library intern (shout out to Bailey Kaye!) is reviewing our archival casebook collection for a digitization project. Among them was a casebook for exchange students arriving at Dalhousie Law School in 1978. It outlined an introduction to the common law, as provided by the Sir James Dunn Law Library. In this casebook, the Sir James Dunn Law Library included a helpful list of general information about library etiquette. Let’s review how you were to conduct yourself in the law library of 1978, shall we? The one rule that has survived nearly word-for-word, across nearly fifty years . . . [more] The post Briefcases & Cigarettes: The Law Library of 1978 appeared first on Slaw
: For Professor Seánna Howard , Director of the International Human Rights Advocacy Workshop, international legal research begins with a simple but important recognition: the most valuable sources are not always the most familiar ones. Her research has taken her to Tucson, where she joined the renowned Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy (IPLP) Program at the University of Arizona College of Law. Along the way, she has worked as an advocate, lawyer, researcher, independent expert, and educator on issues involving Indigenous Peoples, international human rights law, and social justice. Her work also reflects the importance of developing research strategies for areas . . . [more] The post Researching Beyond the Familiar: An Interview With Professor Seánna Howard appeared first on Slaw
: Professional services firms spend a lot of time developing strategy. There are leadership retreats, partner interviews, market assessments, client discussions and competitive reviews. There are conversations about growth, succession, technology, culture, new markets and the future of the firm. Once the strategic plan emerges and the most significant priorities identified, the plan is presented to the partnership, everyone agrees, and then everyone goes back to work. So why do so many firms that created a perfectly good strategic plan, struggle so much with execution? This is typically because the strategy exists at one level of the organization while the work . . . [more] The post When Strategy Is Not the Problem. Translation Is. appeared first on Slaw
: One of the recurring themes of this column has been the extent to which the governance of artificial intelligence in Canada is increasingly being shaped by institutions outside the country while regulatory action within the country is largely stalled. Anthropic’s recent announcement that future versions of Claude will place an invisible watermark in generated text offers the most recent example of this phenomenon. A transparency requirement enacted in the European Union will alter the operation of Claude globally and may therefore leave a detectable signal in legal work prepared in Canada, including work produced through specialized legal-focused AI platforms that . . . [more] The post Invisible Ink: Claude Watermarking and the Canadian Legal Profession appeared first on Slaw
: The globe-trotting Law via the Internet Conference returned to Canada on October 13 and 14 in Montreal. It was just in time for CanLII’s 25th anniversary , convened under the theme of Trusted Past, Open Future to share developments and trends in the delivery of legal information across the world. On day one, University of Ottawa law professor Amy Salyzyn updated us on her research inventorying direct-to-public digital legal tools in Canada. The inventory is not new (it started in 2016, with updates in 2019, 2021, and 2023)—but it has certainly grown. In 2023, 118 tools were cataloged (you can . . . [more] The post “Who Dunnit?” Part 2: Persons & Machines Under UPL Laws appeared first on Slaw
: “The Access to Legal Services Boulder Was Never the Point” BC Day 2025 Origins Like many things Amici Curiae Friends of Court (AC) does, it starts with my waking up one morning and thinking to myself, hmmm, I think we could do better improving the services we provide British Columbians. BC Day 2025 was no different. For many of us who are working in the access to justice ecosystem, solving these complex issues can feel Sisyphean. Sisyphus was a legendary king who was condemned by Zeus and the gods eternally for his cleverness, to repeatedly roll a heavy rock up . . . [more] The post Access to Legal Services: From Sisyphean Quest to a Sustainable Community appeared first on Slaw